The Daily Express revealed that Martin Odegaard was spotted in crutches as he boarded the plane to the UK, thus putting his involvement in the North London Derby in serious doubt.
Martin Odegaard injury offers Spurs boost
Arsenal will be without several key players for their trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but their most significant absentees could be Declan Rice, who is suspended for the game, and Odegaard, who came off with an injury in Norway’s win over Austria on Monday.
New signing, Mikel Merino, will also be unavailable after picking up an injury in his first week of training with the Gunners.
While we are still waiting for an official confirmation on the Arsenal captain’s injury, Norway boss Stale Solbakken admitted after the game that the injury “looked bad” (Fabrizio Romano).
Odegaard spotted on crutches
We have now received further confirmation that the injury looks rather serious, with The Daily Express revealing that the 25-year-old was spotted in crutches while boarding a plane to London earlier today.
The publication confirms that Odegaard has a suspected ankle injury and will soon undergo scans to determine the severity of it.
Without Odegaard, Mikel Arteta could be left with the likes of Partey, Jorginho, Zinchenko, Havertz and a selection of youngsters to choose from in midfield on Sunday.
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If it is an ankle injury, it is extremely unlikely that Odegaard will be able to recover in a few days. The attacking midfielder likely faces at least a month on the sidelines.
There is no doubt that his unavailability significantly boosts Tottenham’s chances in the derby.